Activist Urges Review of Indian Scholarship Selection

By Simon Deng

The Executive Director of the Centre for Peace and Advocacy, Ter Manyang Gatwech, has urged the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology to review the selection process for the current Indian scholarship.

On Monday, the Ministry dismissed claims of corruption in the scholarship selection for the 30 slots offered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

“I therefore call on the ministry to recall the current scholarship list and place an immediate hold on all related processes until a transparent, inclusive, and impartial review is conducted,” Gatwech stated on Tuesday.

“The officials in the Ministry of Higher Education have manipulated the selection criteria, resulting in the exclusion of certain communities and tribes. Is it because these people do not qualify?” Gatwech questioned.

He disclosed that at least four students have registered complaints, emphasising the need to establish an independent investigation committee to audit the scholarship selection process.

“You can see the names of the selected individuals; they all come from one state. What about the rest of the states? Over four students have approached us, but we cannot release their names due to security reasons,” he said.

Job Akuei, the Director General of Admissions at the Ministry, who also serves as the chairperson of the scholarship committee, asserted that the selection was merit-based.

“If South Sudanese are not happy with the merit-based process, we are here to be challenged. If anyone has very high marks and we have left them out, we are ready to accept blame because this is important, and that was our basis for selection,” Akuei said.

Earlier this month, the Greater Equatoria Students Association in India revealed that the selection criteria for scholarships from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations lack transparency and merit-based evaluation.

“We have observed a trend of political influence and favoritism, which risks alienating entire regions, especially students from Greater Equatoria, and damaging our national unity,” the association stated in a press release dated July 3, 2025.

Nunu Diana Alison, a representative of concerned citizens, requested the suspension of the current list of selected students to facilitate a transparent, inclusive, and merit-based re-evaluation of all eligible applicants.

“We, the concerned citizens, noted with sadness that the criteria for selection were not publicly communicated. We are concerned that many highly qualified and deserving applicants were not selected despite meeting or exceeding the stated academic and programme criteria,” said Alison.

“We also strongly encourage that this scholarship should consider gender representation through affirmative action for female students to benefit from such important opportunities,” she added.

On June 25, 2025, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology received 30 slots for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral scholarships offered by the Indian government through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).